1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed broadly relates to methods for providing Internet services and more particularly relates to improvements in mobile device accessing of Internet services while the services are linked to a user location.
2. Background Art
Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) is a defacto standard for an Internet-based registry. The UDDI registry enables users to discover services and businesses on the Internet. The UDDI standard takes advantage of WorldWide Web Consortium (W3C) standards and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards such as Extensible Markup Language (XML), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Domain Name System (DNS) protocol, and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) messaging protocol. The UDDI registry enables users to quickly, easily and dynamically find businesses and services on the Internet. The UDDI registry enables businesses to reach their customers and partners with information about their products and Web services. The UDDI registry also enables businesses to integrate into each other's systems and processes. Registering enables a business to publicly list basic information about its company and offerings. There is also the option to list a catalog of products, services and guidelines for engagement. Registered businesses and their catalogs of services and products are then accessible in searches by potential buyers. Details of the UDDI registry and its searching protocol can be found in the following online papers:                UDDI Executive White Paper, Sep. 6, 2000, http://www.uddi.org/pubs/UDDI_Executive_White_Paper.pdf        UDDI Technical White Paper, Sep. 6, 2000, http://www.uddi.org/pubs/Iru_UDDI_Technical_White_Paper.pdf        UDDI Programer's API 1.0, UDDI Open Draft Specification 30 Sep. 2000, by Toufic Boubez, et al., http://www.uddi.org/pubs/ProgrammersAPI-V1-1.pdf        UDDI Data Structure Reference, UDDI Open Draft Specification 30 Sep. 2000, by Toufic Boubez, et al., http://www.uddi.org/pubs/DataStructure-V1.pdf        
Mobile phones and wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs) are able to access the Internet using the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). The Nokia WAP Client Version 2.0 is a software product containing the components necessary to implement a WAP client on a wireless device. These components include a Wireless Markup Language (WML) Browser, WMLScript engine, Push Subsystem, and Wireless Protocol Stack. The Nokia WAP Client is a source-code product that can port and integrate into wireless devices such as mobile phones and wireless PDAs. Application programs stored in the wireless device interact with the WAP Client to implement a variety of communications applications. Details of the Nokia WAP Client Version 2.0 can be found in the online paper: Nokia WAP Client Version 2.0, Product Overview, Nokia Internet Communications, 2000, www.nokia.com/corporate/wap.
What is needed is the ability of a mobile phone or wireless PDA to discover Internet businesses and services by accessing the UDDI registry. It would be even more useful to facilitate the formation of a query to the UDDI registry for the wireless device user. It would be beneficial to maintain a personal profile of the user's Internet accessing preferences and to use that profile in formulating a detailed UDDI query of the UDDI registry from the user's abbreviated inputs to the wireless device.
In addition to discovering Internet and business services via UDDI, there is a further need to tailor business/service discovery to a particular geogrphic region or location. Coupled with existing locating technologies (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS)), service discovery may be enabled to serve users with geographical interests. Through the use of user profiles, preferences, and/or handles, a geographically focused UDDI search may be implemented on a wireless device with relative speed and convenience.